Our Days and Nights in Venice Heights
by justlovely.bro
Summary: The gang goes to a rather...interesting acting camp in Venice Heights Dorms. Multi-ship, OC CONTEST OFFICIALLY CLOSED. :D Features many OC/OC relationships, as well as some from the show, canon as well as minor.
1. IntroForm

**Hey, darlings! I'm so excited to be starting this new story. As you can see from the summary, I need a few OCs. Like….5-15. So please enjoy this little intro, it's very important, and then see the bottom for the rules. Kay? Kay!**

"And that, class, is why there are pineapples. Any questions?" Sikowitz said.

"I thought we were talking about the play from last night." Andre said, his eyebrows knit in confusion.

It was another interesting day in Sikowitz's lovely class. The gang took up the first row, Sinjin attempting to touch Jade's hair from behind her. She swatted his hand and moved chairs.

"What play?" asked Sikowitz, sipping his coconut milk through a neon bendy straw.

His question was received with confused stares.

"The one we were in. The one you directed. The one we'd been working on for a month!" Tori said.

He showed no recognition.

"Anyways, it was great having you all in class this year. I'm going to miss you guys so much." He continued with mock sadness.

"You do realize it's only Spring Break, right? Not summer? We'll be back." Beck pointed out.

"Oh, right! That reminds me. My good friend Alexandra Jones-"

"Wait, wait, wait. Hold up! You know Alexandra Jones? You just know everyone, don't you?" Andre said, shaking his head.

The whole class sat mumbling about how Crazy Sikowitz could know so many people in high places. But Alexandra Jones was one of the best known actresses out there.

"Yes. I know her. Anyways, she's holding a sort of camp over the break. The campers will stay in Venice Heights Dorms. Now, this camp is normally very expensive. But Alexandra called and said she'd be willing to give up to five kids of my suggestion free camp tuition. And I told her about the very talented Cat Valentine, Jade West, Andre Harris, Beck Oliver, and Tori Vega!" Sikowitz announced.

The gang shouted their excitement, Andre and Beck high-fiving, Cat squealing, Jade rolling her eyes in amusement.

Robbie looked downcast.

"But what about me?" He asked.

Sikowitz sighed. "Yes, the boy and his puppet. Well. I asked the principle, and the school will pay for you to go. But, that was on one given condition."

Robbie now looked eager.

"What?"

"Rex stays home."

"Done!" Robbie said, clamping his hand over Rex's mouth as he tried to protest.

**The intro is done, short as intended. Now. The rules for my sort-of contest:**

**If your character seems perfect, they will not be used.**

**You MUST MUST MUST PM them to me. None will be accepted through review.**

**Follow the form.**

**And lastly, we need just as many guys as girls. So, you are allowed to have two characters, but they can't both be female. You also don't have to have two, you may have only one if you wish.**

**THANKS! And remember, PM only!**

**Form:**

**Name:**

**Age (14-18):**

**Talent (singing/dancing/acting/songwriting, etc.):**

**Gender:**

**Appearance:**

**Personality:**

**Background/History:**

**Friends and Family: **_**IF APPLICABLE**_

**Open to romance?:**

**Crush:**

**Other:**


	2. Check in Day Part 1

**Hey! Thanks for your OC's! We'll meet some of them in this chapter, but I reaaallly need a few more, esp. guys. I'm super excited for this fic, but I'm writing two at once, and I'm super busy. I normally update my other fic about every other day, sometimes every day, and intend to update this one at least every three days. I know I hate a long wait, so I don't want to make you guys wait too long to see your characters!**

**Anyways, story time!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious. If I did, it. Would. Not. Be. Ending. D:**

* * *

Beck's truck pulled up to the famous Venice Heights. Although, to the dismay of the gang, it was not in ACTUAL Venice, rumor has it that the students who catch Alexandra Jones's eye will be given a free vacation to tour Italy! Just another plus, not that the six teens didn't have their doubts.

Beck and Andre hopped out of the truck, grabbing their bags from the bed. Beside them, Jade pulled up, Tori and Robbie jumping out of the car as soon as the wheels stopped turning. Cat giggled, and she and Jade stepped out with their bags as well.

"Wow, Tori and Robbie must be really excited to get here!" Cat said cheerfully.

_Or really excited to get away from Jade, _Robbie thought.

Venice Heights Dorms. The dorms stood tall, with a roof like that of an old, castle-like Victorian. Pointed spires, even little balconies placed high up above all else. **(A/N: pic on profile) **The grass was green, and the driveway long as the Dorms sat atop a small hill. It was beautiful.

They walked up the drive, bell-hop like men meeting them to carry their stuff up the small incline.

_Hmm….Fancy. I could get used to this._ Andre grinned as he thought.

The gang was an hour early. They checked in at the front, and headed to their rooms. All the guys were on Floor 5, and all the girls on floor 4.

The guys were extremely lucky to be rooming together. It was four to a room, but they happened to be the only room of three, since they were the last male campers accepted. On the other hand, the girls were split. Tori and Cat had room 411, while Jade had room 413.

"Great. The people behind this door are probably worse than Tori!" Jade grumbled, as Tori rolled her eyes.

"I HEARD THAT!" a female voice came from behind the door.

The door flung open.

The girl, despite the loud confrontation, seemed to shrink back a little. She didn't look scared, but more cautious.

"You know, Tori, she actually does look a little like you." Jade commented.

"Minus the freckles!" Cat chirped.

"Guys! She's standing right there. Don't talk about her when she's standing right there!" Tori said.

The girl had Tori's tan skin, with similar Chestnut brown hair. It fell around her in light waves, and freckles sprinkled her pretty face. She was close to Cat's height, and Jade already enjoyed being able to look down on her.

"It's okay." She said. "My name is Annabella. Annabella Huntsman."

"I'm Cat!" Cat sang, throwing her arms around the girl.

"Cat!" Tori said, almost reprimanding her friend.

Cat giggled. "Sorry! I'm just so excited! That's Tori, and this is Jadey!"

"Jade. NOT Jadey. Jade West, Cat Valentine, Tori Vega. Any questions?" Jade snapped.

Annabella stood back just a bit more than before, taken aback by Cats hug, although welcomed, and Jade's….everything.

"Uhm, who's actually IN this room?" she questioned shyly.

Jade smirked and pushed her way in, leaving her two friends standing with Annabella.

"I am SO sorry you have to room with her. You seem really nice!" Tori offered.

Annabella shrugged. She wasn't looking forward to it, but she'd gotten through worse.

Cat smiled at her. "You should hang with us sometime! Ooh, one time, my brother-"

"BYE ANNABELLA!" Tori said as she tugged Cat down to their room.

She slid the key in and noticed they were the first one's there. The room was huge, as was expected in Venice Heights Dorms. On opposite sides of the room stood two beds each. Cat immediately ran to the one on the left that was closest to the window, Tori taking the other one beside hers.

Cat looked out the big window and squeaked. "Look, Tori! A fountain! It's SO pretty!" she giggled.

Tori just nodded, unpacking her things and sliding her suitcase under her bed.

She decided to head up and check on the guys. Maybe she could meet a nice, talented guy here. You know, to take her mind off Beck. She too bad for Jade to do anything, but she just couldn't quite get a handle on her feelings. She said goodbye to Cat and walked to the door, about to open it.

There was a knock on the door.

"Got it!" Tori said, not wanting the excited red-head to scare off the newcomers. That and she was already standing there.

She opened the door to see hair just as bright and beautifully unusual as Cat's. Except rather than red, it was a beautiful electric blue. It was very, very straight, and very…._exotic _looking, almost. Under that, her dark brown eyes took in Tori's appearance as per usual when people first meet. Her right eyebrow was pieced, a blue diamond stud. She was very pretty, with enviable features that the boys would surely notice. She wore a black mini-skirt and a white halter top, blue converse on her feet.

She proceeded to smirk and give a little bow. "Ariana Luna Dekone. Singer, Actress, Gymnast." She said, laughing at herself, the smirk still holding.

"I'm Tori Vega. Singer, Actress, part time dancer and song-writer." Tori replied.

Ariana nodded. "Anyone else here?" she asked.

"Yeah, my friend Cat." Tori said.

"You're friends with a cat? And they let you BRING it?" Ariana asked.

Tori laughed. "No, my friend _named_ Cat. Cat Valentine." She said.

"I know, I was just kidding. SO. Are you gonna let me in?" She asked, motioning to the blocked doorway.

Tori's eyes widened. "Oh, I am SO sorry! Here, come on in." she said, stepping back and holding the door while Ariana tugged her gold suitcase through the door. She took the bed across from Cat's, also by a window.

Ariana seemed nice. She was interesting, and everyone who had seen her as she walked in somehow wanted to know more. But Tori got the feeling that maybe she and Annabella should switch rooms. Annabella seemed like a better fit personality wise, while Ariana, although a bit more upbeat, somehow reminded her of Jade.

While Cat excitedly introduced herself, Tori turned around once again to see one more unique girl in the doorway.

Serianna Velequian moved silently into the room to stand before Tori. She looked almost lethal until a grin broke out across her face.

She stuck out her hand. "My name is Serianna Velequian! You can call me Serianna, Seri, or Storm." She said.

Tori shook her hand. "I'm Tori Vega." She said.

And as all four girls chatted and settled in, Tori figured she'd like this place. But as fun as this place seemed, it would come with its share of surprises. Good, and bad.

* * *

**Alright, that's it for now. I realize I left a few OC's out, but I wanted to wait until I got ALL of the OC's I needed to introduce everyone. So, you'll meet everyone else in the next chapter. I would love feedback about what you do and don't like, **_**who **_**you do and don't like, and pairings you want me to use. Any plot suggestions are welcome, and I would love to know if I'm writing your character correctly.**

**ALSO, each character will have AT LEAST half a 2,000 word chapter in their POV later on. But mostly, I'll have a few POV's each chapter, so they may have a smaller POV in a whole lot of chapters to go with that. Any questions, PM me.**

**Lastly, I need about two more girls, and four to five more guys. I'll take more than I need, like if I end up getting four more girls and seven more guys, but I need the guys BADLY, because I only have one, and a second coming in. I looked around at a few more OC stories, and while I would rather you PM them, you can send them in a review if you need to.**

**THANKS! I appreciate all the OC's and hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I do writing it. This chapter may have lacked any surprises or twists, but its purpose was to introduce the Dorms and a few of the characters.**


	3. Check in Day Part 2: Karaoke Lottery

**I'm so glad to have enough OC's to start the real fun! I wanna thank FurryFriends143 for the help :)**

**Also, I could actually use a few more OC's, but I have enough to start now. PM or leave in a review, and thanks so much!**

**Lastly, for the karaoke, here is the key. (1: Ariana's lines are in bold, Andre's in italics) (2: Cat, bold, Niall, italics) (3: Tori, bold, Beck, italics) (4: Serianna, bold, Ethan, italics). So basically girls sing the bold parts, guys sing the italics.**

* * *

Three hours after the gang arrived at Venice Heights dorms, they sat in the huge ballroom, a stage set up in the middle. They were waiting for Alexandra Jones to come give the opening speech.

The gang sat on the first row. Jade sat on the end, Cat by her, Annabella making and appearance with the group, sitting next to Cat. Tori sat on Annabella's other side, listening to Cat tell her about some crazy thing her brother did. She felt a bit sorry for the girl. Jade wasn't speaking to anyone. She had to remember to ask Annabella about that later.

Andre sat on Tori's other side, and next to him, Beck found himself in a bit of a mess with a short, dark haired girl. She was practically in his lap, running a hand through his hair. And he was polite at first. He tried to have a conversation with her. Then when that failed he kindly asked her to leave him alone. And then when that failed he turned to Andre.

"Hey, man, switch me seats."

Across the ballroom, Ava Bowen sat by herself. The New Yorker definitely wasn't the type to sit alone. From her wavy dark blonde hair, to her blue eyes many boys have drowned in. She had the style of any cover girl, and it was clear as day, despite her inner difference from the stereotypical girl of her manner.

Soon she was joined by the compellingly blue-haired Ariana Dekone and Serianna 'Seri' Velequian.

The girls made quite the group. They were different in every way, but came together for the love of preforming. Everyone in the ballroom came together for the love of it, actually.

Ava Bowen was another roommate of Jade and Annabella. The fourth girl, Emily Ann Wowk, stood across the room, wrapped in conversation with Ethan Taylor.

Ethan. James. Taylor. He looked the part of any pretty boy, with his dark brown hair, gorgeous blue eyes and athletic build, although the only time he spent playing sports was with his friends or by himself, not with a team. But that's just the thing about some of the people in the ballroom….

They could be beautiful…..

….talented.

They could seem perfect.

Or, they could wear their flaws and hearts on their sleeves.

But everyone had more depth than meets the eye.

It was really a thing of observation. And that was what Serianna loved best. She sat and watched as Ethan talked to Emily. While the kind, blonde cousin of Cat Valentine had lots of guys looking, Ethan wasn't really into the conversation.

Serianna watched as every so often his eyes would drift towards the front of the room. She couldn't pinpoint who, but it was either Tori, Annabella, or Cat who caught his eye.

Serianna observed as Emily twirled her blonde bangs around her finger in a loop before letting them fall against her face. She was nervous to talk to Ethan. She didn't look like the insecure type. But something told Serianna that looks were deceiving with this bunch.

She watched as Niall Daly, the gorgeous seventeen year old from Ireland, shifted as two girls chirped away in his ear. He seemed almost unused to the attention, which backed up the statement that looks can be deceiving.

See, Serianna was an actress. She wrote songs, lyrics only, and sang when she felt confident, which wasn't often. But mostly, she liked _listening. _Observing. Not so much as stepping back and letting everyone else have the floor, but simply stopping to smell the roses and know the people.

Alexandra Jones then walked up on the stage and a hush fell across the room. The gorgeous actress flashed a welcomed smile to the students. Her dark brown hair fell in curls around her face, tied together in the back with a ribbon. Her black dress was noted by Ava. It looked like something only the great Alexandra could pull off. The gold accented lace at the top to the black ribbon around the waistline, cascading down in a spiral.

"Welcome! I'll make this brief so the fun can begin. Here at camp, we have three rules. Number one, boys stay in boys' dorms, girls stay in girls' dorms at night. In the day, visit all you want during free hour. Number two, nothing illegal or mean. We don't break the law or judge people here. And number three: no fear. You do everything with confidence here. Like I said, we don't judge. We perform." She made her speech as brief as she insisted it would be, and that was appreciated. Because anything Alexandra Jones did could be appreciated.

"Now, to get us into the swing of things and practice rule three, we are going to play a game. I call it Karaoke Lottery. We have entered the names of all of the students who included singing as one of their talents into this computer, and it will randomly pick two people to come up and sing. You can pick your song, but there's no backing down." She added with a smile.

No questions were raised about it, so she went over to the computer on the small table next to the podium, clicking once, waiting a second, and reading the first two names.

"Ariana Dekone and Andre Harris." She announced.

They both made their way to the stage, looking at the song list for about five seconds before Ariana spoke.

"Ooh, that one!" she said.

Andre seemed impressed with her song selection.

"Okay. Andre and Ariana with _Just Past Midnight _by Vera Sims." Alexandra said as she went to stand off to the side of the stage.

The lights dimmed, spotlights were brought out, and the words were put up on the screen near the back of the ballroom, though neither needed the words. (**See top for key)  
**

**Just past midnight**

**The lights are too bright**

**I'm wide awake but too tired to fight**

Ariana sang smoothly, her voice as exotic as her hair. Like a mixture of Jade and Cat's voices, with a hint of an unknown spice.

_The music gets louder every second I dance_

_It doesn't matter if you spare me another glance_

_I know in ten minutes you'll be begging me to talk to you  
_

Andre fired the lyrics back with the spirit he always put into his music. Ariana's eyes widened, and by the time the song was over, she was completely captured. Not love at first sight, love at first sound. She wasn't sure if she just loved his voice or if it was more, but she intended to find out.

Next to sing were Cat and Niall. At first he seemed a bit bored, and maybe a bit uncomfortable, but by the time they hit the chorus, he was looking like the performer he is.

**Take a step back**

**Looking from a distance**

_But it's too hard to be resisting_

**We both got cheated**

**I think we need a new card game**

_One day with you and I won't remember her name_

**Oh, run with what we have now**

**Don't look back to what you had**

**She treated you bad, she treated you bad**

_I know I won't regret taking your hand_

_Time will pass like hourglass sand_

_Yes, one day with you_

**One day with you**

**And I won't remember**

_And I won't remember_

_**My name (**_sang together)

They finished the song a minute later and were rewarded with loud applause similar to what Ariana and Andre received.

And then the shocker of the night: Beck and Tori. As they walked up on stage, Serianna ran up to Tori and whispered something in her ear.

"_If you wanna knock 'em dead, you should sing-"_

Tori frowned, and then nodded. Something was strange about Serianna, but her gut told her to listen.

She walked up on stage, and before Beck could object, she took the mic.

"We're gonna sing 'Don't You Want Me'. If…that's okay with Beck." She added with embarrassment.

She had always had feelings for him. And she hated turning him down during the PMA's. But it was just a song, right? She wasn't hurting Jade, right?

Right…..

And the music began.

_You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar_

_When I met you_

_I picked you out; I shook you up, and turned you around_

_Turned you into someone new_

_Now five years later on you've got the world at your feet_

_Success has been so easy for you_

_But don't forget it's me who put you where you are now_

_And I can put you back down too  
_

_Don't...don't you want me_

_You know I can't believe it when I hear that you won't see me_

_Don't…don't you want me_

_You know I don't believe it when you say that you don't need me  
_

_**(together)**_

_**It's much too late to find**_

_**You think you've changed your mind**_

_**You better change it back or we will both be sorry**_

_**Don't you want me, baby**_

_**Don't you want me, Oohh oh oh**_

_**Don't you want me, baby**_

_**Don't you want me, Oohh oh oh  
**_

As the song continued, Beck found himself leaving the song. He found himself really meaning what he said. He was remembering the PMA's, how she turned him down. And she saw that. At first she kept looking at Jade, but then she got lost in the song. The confident edge to her voice had her laughing in between verses. She genuinely enjoyed this, even though it was only opening night.

Eventually, it was over, and, and Jade looked at neither of them. She didn't want to sort through what she felt. Because whatever it was, she didn't want to feel it.

And then Serianna and Ethan were called up. Ethan pointed to one, and Serianna's eyes lit up at his taste in music.

Down in the front, Annabella kept her head as low as Jade's.

_Don't look at Ethan. That was then, this is now. YOU turned HIM down, not the other way around._

When Beck and Tori sang, she could imagine it being her and Ethan up on that stage instead. She'd been the only one to turn him down. And she wasn't sure if that was a brilliant or stupid choice.

_Separate Ways, _by Journey, began to play.

**Here we stand**

**Worlds apart**

**Hearts broken in two, two two**

_Sleepless nights_

_Losing ground_

_I'm reaching for you, you, you  
_

Serianna sang, heart and soul. It was her favorite feeling. She wasn't often brave enough, but she couldn't have backed out, so she instead enjoyed it. She always felt like she was a mediocre singer, but the cheers said otherwise.

_If he ever hurts you_

_True love won't desert you._

_Nooooo_

_Nooooo  
_

And the song was over. Everyone was tired, but who said sleep was on the list? The students returned to their dorms, their happiness apparent.

But it wasn't ALL fun and games.

But…but, but, but.

They could always try to make it that way.

Because adventure WAS on the list.

* * *

**Lol, the last line was so cheesy.**

**Okay, so starting next chapter, it will be OC's POVs. **

**Here are a few questions to answer in a review!  
-Who's your favorite and least favorite OC?**

**-What pairing should be used?**

**-What all do you want to happen?**

**-Is you character well written?**

**THANKS!**

**I wrote this late, so sorry for any errors. I proofread, but who knows!**


	4. Truth or Dare in the Gardens

**Hey! I have ALL my OC's now. I mean, there's always room for more, but I have my goal number, so, yay! Thanks! I'm so glad you guys like this story! I hope I can keep that up.**

**Anyways, since POV's start this chapter, I guess since now I have almost, not quite, equal numbers of guys and girls, I'll start off with one guy, one girl per chapter, and then the POV of one of the Victorious members at the end.**

**Also, for me, school starts on the 23****rd****, so I'm going to get a little busier. So around that time, updates may come like twice a week rather than every other day.**

**Anyways,**

**Disclaimer: I think I have done this enough XD**

* * *

**Shantel "Telly" Price  
**

"Okay, so we were a bit late getting here. Fine, no problem. Let's not make a huge deal about it." My twin brother, Alex, tells me.

Even though I'm not vocalizing it, I am a little embarrassed to be getting here so late. I don't want to draw the extra bad attention. Extra good attention? Sure! But no thanks to being late.

Alex, on the other hand, doesn't seem too bothered. I mean, he's much more laid back than I am. He's kind of the joker, comparable to a class clown. Okay, more like the class ladies' man. I mean, he's hilarious, and the girls seem to love his tall, dark, and handsome look. He's 6'2, with black hair like mine. It's cut rather short on the sides, and spiked up on top. And the piercing, of course. One of his ears are pierced.

"Whatever," I said softly, tossing my jet-black waist-length hair over my shoulder, the violet tips swaying. I dip-dye them a different color every week. "Let's just go check in."

I let out a silent breath of air, my bangs momentarily out of my eyes for a change. They fell back softly.

The lobby of Venice Heights Dorms is as beautiful as the outside. Marble pillars are placed strategically, and the floors are shiny enough for me to catch my own blue eyes. Alex has matching ones. The ceilings are very high, arching, with chandeliers hanging here and there, beautiful and antique looking. The lobby was empty, as everyone was in the ballroom. I heard singing. Probably some type of karaoke opener, considering this is an Arts camp.

The clerk had us sign in, and the bellhops stood by with our luggage as we were given our room assignments and keys. Everyone was given a key for times like free hour when no one was already there to open the door for them.

I had room 403 on floor 4, and Alex got room 536 on room 5.

I thanked my bellhop, taking my luggage to my room, leaving Alex in the elevator to go up another floor. The hall was empty, as were the rooms, considering that everyone was still in the ballroom. That's what we get for being late. Our friend Taylor dropped us off. Alex and I can drive and all, since we're sixteen, but Taylor basically begged to drive us, just to see the Dorms. They _are _pretty amazing.

I opened the door to my room, taking the only bed left. It was a big room, and the bed was a nice size, a queen probably. So the room had to be big, to fit four queen beds.

I had just finished unpacking when everyone came up to the dorms.

My roommates introduced themselves as Alicia, who had black rimmed nerd glasses like me (though hers didn't seem to be prescription like mine), Lerainne, who I deemed French by accent and name, and Toni, who seemed very antisocial.

I can admit to being very….timid, at first. But I want to meet some people! So what if it was Dorm curfew? I heard a few girls out in the halls…maybe I could make some friends for tomorrow. If rules get in my way, I find ways to step around them. And plus, my roommates are already asleep.

It's only ten.

Geez.

I stepped out into the hall, wondering briefly about Alex. He and I weren't always close. As a matter of fact, when I was younger, I almost hated him. But we kind of bonded over the arts, him teaching me how to play bass and helping me with my song-writing. We're on really good terms now.

But he's probably getting on fine.

A few girls stood laughing softly in the hall, shushing eachother. A girl with dark blonde hair and an admirable wardrobe lightly shoved another on the shoulder. This one, laughing at the joking gesture, had electrifying blue hair. It was amazing. I never died all of my hair, just the tips. I don't think people look good with unnaturally colored hair. Well, completely unnaturally colored hair. But this girl pulled it off.

Beside them was a red haired girl. I mean, RED haired. It was very, VERY red. Very. She was laughing along, but beside her stood an angry looking girl. She had teal strips in her dark hair, and wore a leather jacket over her teal shirt. She looked upset.

The red haired girl looked over at me, standing in the doorway to my room, all stalkerish.

She giggled. "Hi person!" She said, waving excitedly.

The angry girl raised an eyebrow, the two others turning and offering a smile. I silently closed the door as not to wake my roommates, walking over to them.

The red headed girl bounced over. "I'm Cat! Not a cat, just named Cat." She said with another little giggle. I decided that, no, she wasn't high or drunk, just peculiar. She seemed pretty fun.

"I'm Telly. Well, I'm Shantel, but call me Telly." I said, sticking out a hand.

The girl with the blue hair spoke next. "I'm Ariana. Ms. Fashion over here is Ava. And that's….Jade." She trailed off, referring to the angry girl.

"Are you okay?" I asked Jade, my eyebrows raised.

She smirked at me sarcastically. "Just peachy."

* * *

She barked.

Uh, no. Sarcasm is my game too. I'm not normally mean, but if she wants to be that way, so be it. Before I could snap something back, Cat shook her head.

"Jadey's just mad that Annabella stood up to her when she asked if she would trade beds."

"I didn't _ask._" Jade insisted.

_Maybe that's why she stood up to you._ My thoughts sneered, but I remained silent.

"Anyways, we're going to go get our friends and sneak out to the gardens to play some games. Wanna come?" Ava asked.

I nodded, and we walked down the hall.

**Ethan Taylor  
**

I have to admit, the guys were pretty cool. Niall is pretty laid back, and the new guy, Alex, seems pretty hilarious. Our other roommate is Nathan. My friends would have immediately jumped on the fact that he definitely isn't easy on the eyes. The guy has really bad acne, out of date glasses, braces, and his hair is a greasy mess. But he's really nice, and I'm not the same douche here that I am around my friends.

There was a knock at the door, and I walked over to get it. My singing buddy, Serianna, stood outside.

"Hey! What's up?" I asked. She was pretty cool. And pretty….well_, pretty_. The only person I would have been happier to open the door to probably doesn't want to talk to me. Maybe she can change her mind while she's here.

"Hey, bring the guys and meet us in the gardens. We're going to have a little game of truth or dare, and if we can find a flat enough surface, spin the bottle. There aren't any windows facing the back gardens, so we won't get caught if we're not incredibly loud." She said, then frisked away to join the noise of a large group down the hallway.

I told the guys and we headed to the elevators, slipping silently out the back lobby doors into the lush gardens. **(A/N: Check my profile for a picture of the gardens :D)**

Serianna was waiting outside the doors to help us find the group. You could get lost in the gardens. There was an actual maze, but you had to walk a mile to get there, the gardens were so big. We found a clearing surrounded by foliage and flowers, marble benches forming a circle with a fire pit in the middle that had probably never been used.

I tried to recall the names of the people sitting in the circle. I sat by Serianna, Alex, Niall, and Nathan. Annabella sat on Serianna's other side, and I made myself not glance at her. Forced myself. Beside Annabella was Tori Vega, the girl who brought the house down when she sang with that one guy I had yet to talk to. He seemed like the kind of guy I would be friends with, and the girls flocked to him like they did me.

Next to Tori was Cat, the red-head with the pretty voice, and next to her was Jade, the pretty, yet scary girl. Then it was Andre, Beck, the one who sang with Tori, Robbie, Ariana, with the awesome looking blue hair, Ava, and the girl Alex pointed out as his sister. Shantel. Er, Telly. And then it was Emily Wowk, Cat's cousin who was acting into me in the ballroom earlier.

That brought us full circle, and I looked around as people laughed and talked. Looking at everyone….er, almost everyone, I was almost amused with how well this was going. There had to be a catch.

Serianna was talking to Annabella about nicknames, saying how she went by Seri, but we could call her either. Serianna had made sure everyone knew about the options of what to call her. Must be important to her. I shrugged mentally as the circle began to quiet down under the stars.

Cat nodded across the circle at Ariana, and then the red-head spoke up.

"Okay guys. Truth or dare time!" she announced.

A few people seemed bored, but mostly people smiled, sometimes girls shot Beck or I looks. Girls, girls, girls. Always taking these opportunities to ask us questions or dare us to kiss their friends who liked us. That's how it went at parties at least.

Cat was first to go. She brought out a bottle, and laid it on the flat metal cover of the fire pit.

She spun, landing on Emily. "Hey, cousin, truth or dare?" she squeaked.

Emily picked truth, and Cat thought of a question. She probably knew a lot about her cousin, so she was more comfortable asking the harder questions.

"How many guys have you kissed?" Cat asked. She already knew, but she probably couldn't think of much she _didn't _know.

Emily looked a little uncomfortable, and I almost swore I saw her look at me.

"Three." She said. She looked embarrassed, as if she thought that was a terrible number. She's pretty, so I had guessed more. But maybe she's kind of like me. I've only had three girlfriends, although I've kissed more than three girls, and I dumped them all for various reasons.

The game continued smoothly, not much that caught my attention. I just looked at the stars until Alex informed me that the bottle had landed on me.

* * *

**Tori Vega  
**

I spun and landed on Ethan. He was zoned out, but Alex brought him back from whatever mental trip he'd gone on.

I saw Annabella's head snap up when I asked the question.

He picked truth, which, by this part of the game, was the least common answer.

So I went out on a limb, looking first at Annabella, then at Ethan.

"How do you know her?" I asked.

He looked a bit taken aback, as did Annabella.

He paused a moment, before answering.

"Uhm, school." He pushed the words out of his mouth quickly, already trying to spin the bottle and move on. I got the feeling there was more to it, but I didn't ask.

I zoned out around the time Ariana had to kiss Robbie, and I sadly was too far gone to want to see his reaction. But I'm sure it was hilarious.

I didn't realize I was staring at Beck until Cat nudged me in the side and winked at me. She stood up, stopping the game.

"Okay, guys. Spin the bottle time. We had our ice breaker, now we get to the real fun!" She said. Most people laughed, but I just swallowed, hard, and looked at my lap.

* * *

**Hey! I hope you guys liked the chapter! Next one is spin the bottle time, and the first official day of camp!**

**I few things for you guys to leave in a review: what you do and don't like, who you do and don't like, and if I wrote your character correctly.  
**

**Also, for the pairings, sometimes I'll kinda ask you guys what you want, so just leave your answer in a review, or something:**

**Who should Ethan end up with?**

**-Annabella**

**-Serianna**

**-Emily**

**-Other  
**

**Also, for Beck:**

**-Bori**

**-Bade**

**- Beck/OC  
**

**Thanks, darlings!**


	5. Waking Up in Venice

**Okay! So I had some questions for you guys on the relationships, and here are our results so far:::**

**Ethan and _**

**Annabella: 2 votes**

**Serianna: 2 votes**

**Emily: 1 vote**

**AND IT'S UNANIMOUS. BORI FOR THE WIN.**

**Sorry, I got a little excited. But, you have one more chapter to vote for Ethan's relationship, review or PM, and then it's settled.**

**Disclaimer:…OH I'M DONE WITH THIS**

* * *

**Emily Ann Wowk**

I love party games! But this is the first time I've played spin the bottle without half of the people being drunk. Parties are fun, but I don't do all that stuff. Drugs or drinking. It isn't me. My friends tell me I act drunk anyways, like my cousin, Cat. But we're just more….fun! Yes, fun.

I smiled at my own thoughts as my cousin once again took the first spin. The rules were that if you spun on someone your own gender, it was on the cheek, but if you spun on someone the opposite gender, it was on the lips for at least five seconds.

Cat spun Alex, the new boy, pretty funny too, who's Telly's brother. I watched as my cousin bounded over to him and straight out planted one on the boy. She broke away, giggling. Alex spun his sister, which was a little awkward, so they let him use the same gender rule and kiss her on the cheek.

Telly just laughed about it, good-naturedly, the rest of the circle laughing with her. She stood and spun, landing on Jade…no, Andre. It spun right past Jade to Andre.

Andre Harris is pretty cool, I have to admit. Honestly, if I could pick someone to land on, it would be him. Maybe Beck or Ethan, but they both seemed to have a thing for someone else. But then again, Andre and Ariana did seem to hit it off when they sang together.

I flipped my blonde bangs back, looking as Telly sat back down and Andre spun. Telly was sitting right next to me, and I giggled, nudging her in the arm. She raised her eyebrows, laughing shortly, and Andre landed on Ethan.

Everyone started cracking up as he walked over and kissed him on the cheek just as quickly as he could get away with. We were laughing right on through Ethan's turn, when he spun Ava. Our laughter faded as their kiss lasted a bit more than five seconds. I saw Annabella and Niall fidget in their seats.

Woah, woah, what?

I knew there was something going on between Annabella and Ethan! I knew it! But I didn't think Niall would care so much. I'd seen him glance at Ava, but he glanced at everyone….I think.

Ethan went back to sit between Serianna and Alex. It took me a minute to notice that Serianna was looking down too.

Oh, come on! This guy and his girl problems. I have to admit, I was a bit hooked too. Most guys walked my way, not the other way around, but he was the exception.

I had zoned out for a minute, and next thing I knew, Nathan was nudging me in the side. Nathan. The shy kid. He was the kind of kid people would pick on at my school. The kind who would need a friend. The kind I would make friends with. Just another thing I had in common with my cousin.

I looked up to see that the bottle was pointing at me, and Robbie came over. Robbie was pretty cute, in a geeky way. The kiss lasted the standard five to six seconds, and I have to admit, it wasn't all that bad.

I awkwardly spun Jade, who spun Niall, who spun Tori…..(he seemed pretty happy about that).

And eventually I heard my cousin speak up.

"Guys, it's two a.m. and Alexandra expects us up at eight!" Cat squeaked sadly.

Everyone seemed to have fun. It was weird, all of us getting along so well. With all of our different personalities and such.

I'm guilty of being a little tired. But I didn't realize until we got back to our dorms that this whole time I've been here I haven't thought one degrading thing about myself. My insecurities left me alone for the day.

I couldn't help but smile at that.

"What are you smiling about, Blondie?" Jade asked me with a sneer.

Ah, Jade.

"What are you frowning about….meanie?" I said. I was too tired to think of something better to call her, and truth be told. She IS a meanie.

"You are just like Cat!" Jade laughed, a real laugh. I knew the girl was friends with my cousin. Maybe that's why she hasn't killed me yet.

I giggled. Cat and I are a _little _different. I'm just a little more grounded. Just a little. And she's about an inch taller than me. I'm only 5'1.

I fell asleep, and dreamed. I don't remember my dream. But I think it had something to do with Cat's brother, which could mean anything, and I mean _anything.  
_

* * *

**Niall Daly**

When I opened my eyes I was surprised not to see the white popcorn ceiling of the room I have at my grandparents' house. I live there. Granny and Grandpa took me in after mom died and dad went to jail.

But instead I saw a smooth, off-white ceiling. The smooth, off-white ceiling of Venice Heights Dorms.

The alarm actually woke us up. We had to be down in the dining hall at seven thirty for breakfast, and in the ballroom at eight.

I practically roll out of bed to see the others already getting ready, minus Ethan, who's still asleep.

I take my pillow, smacking him right in his face.

"Hey!" he shouts, suddenly awake.

"You want food or not, man?" I ask, laughing.

We get ready, me throwing on a gray t-shirt and some jeans and loafers. I come out of the bathroom to find my roommates gossiping like girls. Or old ladies. Whatever works.

"So, who is it, man. Who is she?" Ethan was asking Alex, Nathan chuckling as he put on his shoes.

"I don't know what you guys are talking about." Alex shrugged. "But I know something's up with you! It's gotta be Annabella. Or Seri. Maybe Emily or Ava."

Ethan just rolled his eyes.

"You guys are a bunch of chicks." He laughed.

"You're one to talk." I retorted, punching him on the arm.

We headed down to the grand dining hall. It was huge, with many lightly colored faux wood tables. The walls were made of patterned stone, and the lighting gave it a modern look. **(A/N: Picture on my profile. I'll do that for all the major sites)**

The table we chose has six seats, and Seri and Ariana come over to join us.

I'm a little disappointed Tori couldn't sit with us. She's very beautiful, and very kind. But I know she can't take her eyes off of that Beck guy.

So, you know. I'll keep my options open.

Ethan is chatting away with the girls, while Nathan tells Alex about how awesome looking Ariana's hair is. Okay, it _IS _pretty cool.

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Annabella looking at Ethan.

_I knew it._

I almost go over to ask her about it, curiosity at its finest, but then the food comes.

_Ohh, food! We Irish know how to eat!_

The pristine plates are under the best looking waffle I've ever seen. With that is a tray of fresh fruit for our table to share, and let me tell you, this place is classy. They serve us orange juice in goblets, and I can hear Cat Valentine from across the room.

"Can I have strawberry milk? The syrup looks like my hair." Her giggle carries. I spot Tori next to her, and there he is. Beck, right across from her, and she's looking at him and laughing.

_Come one, dude, there's plenty of other girls here. Very beautiful, I might add._

Somehow, my thoughts have an Irish accent. I don't really notice it, since I've been used to the sound. But there it is, my conscience nagging me.

I scarf down my breakfast, and Alex looks over with wide eyes. "Man, and I thought _I _ate fast." He chuckles.

I go back to my thoughts. I'm really not here to find love, even though my mind keeps wondering to girls. I'm here because of my other love. Singing.

I've been singing since I was little, since way before I left Ireland when I was fourteen. Since before my mom died, really. Dad was already in prison, and singing was really what held my mother together. Until she got cancer. She still sang, right up until the day she died. And that's what I plan to do. Sing until I die.

* * *

**Jade West**

We're sitting in the dining hall. The food was good, I'll admit that. I'll also admit that I'm rather mad Okay, no, pissed off. That Tori and Beck have this….thing, with eachother. She can't take her eyes off him, and sadly, he can't take his eyes off her.

I could always try to make Beck jealous. But this guy has caught my eye.

Alex.

I don't know why, exactly. He seems a little soft for me, even though he isn't really soft. Everyone is just too soft for me. Except for Beck. I could make almost any exception for Beck.

But, maybe it's time I started making exceptions for other people.

My thoughts are interrupted as Andre nudges me.

"Come on, Jade, come back to Earth. Everyone's leaving for the ballroom." He says.

I roll my eyes, and head to the ballroom, where Alexandra waits on stage.

"Under your seats you will have your schedule for the day." She announced.

I looked under my seat, picking up a green piece of paper. Thank goodness it isn't yellow. I hate yellow. And ducks…

Nevermind.

**8:00 Meet in Ballroom**

**8:15 Tracks (You may choose to go to the Improv room, the vocal room, or the music room)**

**11:00 Free hour (stay on campus)**

**12:00 Lunch**

**12:45 Meet in ballroom**

**2:00 Maze**

**5:00 Free hour (stay on campus)**

**6:00 Dinner**

**6:45 Karaoke Lottery**

**9:00 Small group discussions**

**10:00 Free time in dorms**

**11:00 Lights out**

She went on to explain everything. For our tracks, that was our way to explore the Arts. If we went to the improv room, we did improv scenes. The vocal room, we got to sing. And Music room, we got to play different instruments and write songs. There was also a room with different textured floors for any dancers we had.

She told us when we came to the ballroom after lunch, she would have a surprise for us.

And that for our small groups, we would be put in groups of four to just talk at the end of the day.

She started listing off groups. I got extremely ticked to hear that Beck and Vega were in the same small group. Oh well, at least it's only an hour long discussion.

I was placed with Serianna, Nathan, and Ethan.

That worked. I had a few questions for that Seri chick.

* * *

**Okay, so here we have our schedule and everything.**

**Please leave a review, and let me know:**

**Who should be with Ethan**

**Who should be with Alex**

**Who should be with Niall**

**And should Jade get in a fight (an actual fight) with anyone?**

**Also, please PM me any ideas for a plot twist! I have a few ideas but I would SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALID OCIOUSLY appreciate it!**


	6. Ariana's Words of Wisdom

**Hey! I know it's been a little while, and I apologize. I'm going to be updating less frequently, considering school just started up and I made my highschool swim team :)**

**No, it isn't on hiatus, and no, I will not abandon this. I just don't have a whole lot of time or mental capacity to write.**

**Okay, so it's been decided on who Ethan is with ;), as well as a few other pairings, but most are undecided. My profile page has a list of all the decided pairings, which I'm going to update as soon as I get done typing this. Also, I had a last minute entry, and one my friend begged me to put in, so two new characters will be making an appearance soon, this chapter or next, along with another surprise.**

**I love you guys for loving this story! XD**

**Disclaimer: Do we really have to keep doing this?**

* * *

**Ariana Luna Dekone**

Okay, everyone is officially obsessed with my hair. I mean, at first it was really cool having everyone tell me how awesome it is, but, really, guys, just take a picture, it'll last longer. I mean it. I can always feel someone's eyes on the back of my head.

Oh, who am I kidding, like I care.

Now, it's time for tracks, and I can't help but wonder which track Andre will pick.

Just as I'm heading to the Vocal Room I see him entering the Music Room. Damn. Whatever.

I'm really not here for guys. I mean, yeah, they're a DEFINITE plus. But I really love what I do. I was recently accepted to Juliard's new edition Performing Arts High School, and I took my freedom to the fullest, dying my hair, adding a few piercings a couple weeks in. Before I lived life on a somewhat strict set of rules, and now I live life on my rules.

Okay, _mostly _my rules. I still have to follow the law.

I sit in a weaved chair that hangs from the ceiling, and look around the room. Aside from the unique kids, the unique furniture catches my eye. The chairs aren't the boring, metal ones like in the ballroom. No, each chair is different. While mine hangs from the ceiling, others are beanbags, some shaped like hands, and one white chair looks rather abstract, like spilled milk you can sit on.

There is a stage near the back, and no windows. A series of lights light up the stage in contrast to the dimmed room, and several microphones along with a guitar or two line the front of the stage. Some fancy equipment crap is over in the corner, and-

"Okay, let's get right to it guys! I'm Joe, and I sing most of the songs to the soundtrack of Alexandra's newest hit movie. You know, you've all seen it, _Closing Midnight._" People nod their heads at the guy who interrupted my thoughts. He's tall, looking to be about Alexandra's age, and I do recall hearing his music from the popular movie. He's got some serious talent. And facial hair.

He goes on to explain how this is our time, and he isn't running this, just here to smooth over any bumps in the road. He tells us we can put our names on the list to sing, and go rehearse in the small sound-proof room to the left, and that's when I look around at my company.

I see many random faces. About thirty people fill the room, but most of them are quiet. I see a few familiar faces. Niall, Serianna, Alex, Cat and Jade.

Cat motions me over, and I walk over to the girls to sit and talk to them. I nod at Alex and Niall, and they head over too.

Jade rolls her eyes at something Cat says, and I see people going to add themselves to the list.

I want to make an impression. Everyone has heard about the prize trip to Italy. I don't know the rules, but I expect standing out will help my chances, and that Alexandra will get us some information soon.

I've zoned out, and come back to see Cat winking at Jade, telling her that she thinks she, Serianna, Niall and I should sing together. I didn't even notice Seri walk up, but there she is, sitting in a movie-theater-style seat.

I don't know what's up, but before Jade can protest, Cat pulls Seri, Niall and I away to discuss song ideas.

"Okay, so I was thinking maybe we could sing some classic rock? Or something upbeat….I don't know! Any ideas?" I ask, looking around at the group.

I have a feeling that by the end of the week, I'm going to feel like these people are my family. Not a feeling I'm used to anymore….

Seri. The mysterious girl. She takes control, has a good laugh, and shuts up before anyone has the chance to even think she's a diva. I don't know if anyone else sees it, but something isn't quite right. I mean, the girl can sing, she's beautiful, she's fun and creative. But…..I don't know. It's something in the way she walks, or maybe the way she sings that lets you know there's something off inside. Not calling her crazy. But she seems to have some sort of secret. She seems wounded. Like she's hiding, almost, distracting herself from something. Must be a good actress.

Cat. That girl. I love her. She always has a smile, and when she doesn't you can always expect to hear '_What's that supposed to mean?'. _Her hair isn't half bad either, and I have a feeling she's more clever than people expect her to be. Like back there, with Alex and Jade….was she….setting them up?! Nice one, Cat! Only Cat could do that to Jade and get away with it.

Niall. I have to say, I haven't paid much attention to that kid. But sitting here….I must admit. He's pretty attractive. And we share our passion for a foreign place. His is Ireland, and mine is Italy. I speak fluent Italian, although I can't say I know for sure if Italian blood runs through my veins. Which is another reason I want to win that trip so badly.

We decide on a song, Try and Stop Me, by Sima Parata, and add our names to the list before going to rehearse.

We come out of the practice room just in time to see Jade and Alex take the stage.

They sing Somebody That I Used to Know, and they absolutely kill it. In a good way, I mean.

At the end, Jade is crossing the stage during the last part, and she trips over her own boots. Before face can meet stage, Alex reaches out and grabs her arm, righting her on her feet.

At first, she glares at the boy, but then, her face….softens. She turns away and the song is over, but I can't help but seeing why Cat left them alone.

The fun begins when we go up on stage.

I start us off as the fun beat begins, the bass drum pounding out just loud enough to not be too subtle and not be too obnoxious.

_You're set on me sitting down_

_You want my feet on the ground_

_But I don't_

_Think you know_

I close my eyes as I hit the run at the end of the verse, and Seri takes the next verse like we practiced.

_You're going crazy over things_

_You can't control_

_Your CD's are all adult contemp._

_But I want Rock and Roll_

_But I don't_

_Think you…._

_Ohh._

She mimics the run, and we're dancing off to the side as Cat twirls into her verse.

_You don't know_

_That after you kiss me goodnight_

_I'm gonna go out and have the time of my life_

_You don't want me_

_To live it up baby_

_But as soon as you're gone_

_My night's turnin' crazy_

And then we all join in for the chorus. Cat and Seri take the first part of it, and Niall and I take the second.

_I'm gonna dance 'cuz it feels right_

_You don't have to know what I'm doing tonight_

'_Cuz I'm having fun_

_Something new to you_

_Oh, Just Try and Stop me, _

_Just Try and stop me why don't you_

Their voices blend smoothly and Niall and I finish out the chorus.

_I'm gonna smile if it feels right_

_Dance with someone who knows_

_How to have a good time_

_I think I have a new idea_

_That you aren't good for me_

_Oh, just try and stop me,_

_Just try and stop me baby._

It's going great! The crowd is paying attention, people leaning out of the practice room to hear us, and Joe is nodding along. Niall and I sound pretty good together, too. Then Seri takes the next verse.

_We used to go like PB&J_

_But now you never have anything new to say_

_It's breaking my heart_

_But I think we need some time apart_

_Because you don't know how_

_To live on the run,_

_Say it, F-U-N,_

_Baby, let's have fun_

_Don't you know-_

Then, her eyes widen, like a deer in headlights. Her mic hits the floor with a loud clank, and knowing that something is wrong, I sing the rest of her verse as she backs up slowly. She recovers enough to finish out the song with us, but when I look over to see if she's okay once the last note of guitar leaves the air, she's already off the stage. I don't know where she goes, but she's gone.

And then I see why.

A figure stands in the door.

I squint through the dimness to make out a boy.

He looks about seventeen, like Seri, and is thin but muscular. He wears a blue hoodie and khakis, and his hair is brown, sweeping to above his brown eyes. He's very tan, and he looks at us with a frown, as if he noticed Seri's slip as well. But, really, I think _everyone _noticed.

He looks like the shy type, probably your average nerd, though pretty decent looking.

And he must be the answer to whatever it is going on with Seri.

And then, Jade, of all people on Earth, stands up to go follow her. She tells Cat to stay, looks back at Alex, then at the stranger, and leaves, and I'm more than curious to say the least.

But the track moves on, and next time I look up, the boy is no longer there.

I make a mental tally of things to find out about….

Jade and Alex….

Seri….

Beck and Tori….

Whatever it is with Annabella.

And not to mention a whole lot of other stuff.

Actually, this is the only moment I've spent here that hasn't been pure bliss.

It can't all be perfect. People ask questions, tell their stories, and give you answers you may not like.

But in the end, it's all just life.

Yeah, yeah, my lovely words of wisdom, I'll be here all week.

No, really I will.

* * *

**Okay, I realize there was only one POV this chapter, but I had to do it this way.**

**Here are your questions!**

**What do you think happened to Seri?**

**Who do you think the stranger is?**

**Ariana and Andre? Or Ariana and Niall?**

**Cabbie, or Cat/OC, Robbie/OC?**

**Should Jade and Alex be a camp fling, or the real thing?**

**Also, next chapter you can look forward to:**

**Bori, Ethan/Annabella backstory, Seri's story, and some acting scenes, along with more awesome stuff I can't wait to type up! :D**

**Tell me what you do and don't like, as well as what you'd like to see.**

**Also, about that song, Try and Stop Me, I wrote that, on the spot. If you have an original song you want your character to sing, PM it to me, but only one, because there's only so much time I have XD.**

**THANKS!**


	7. Never Had a Chance in My Mind

Sad piano fills the air, and a pained voice follows.

_Finally escaping_

_Something I've been running from._

_I finally grew strong enough to walk away from you_

_Something that the old me would never have the strength to do._

The piano music sounds almost like a minor version of parts of 'Total Eclipse of the Heart'. But at the same time, it has its own personal category. It's completely original.

_Ohh_

_Finally done breaking_

_When you walk back in_

_On my heart_

The music picks straight up and the girl on the piano bench closes her eyes as she sings. But she isn't the one playing the piano.

_Never had a chance in my mind_

_To get it right_

_Why can't you just leave me,_

_Leave me, to get on with my life._

_When I needed you the most you were gone_

_And now you're here to haunt me_

_When all I finally_

_Finally_

_Finally needed_

_Was to be…._

…_on my own._

The song has slowed down again. The girl's voice does not waver as a thin tear rolls down her cheek. The piano player plays on, nodding her head a little as she plays the sad melody.

_Oh, I never had a _

_Chance in my mind_

_To get it right_

_You made me question everything I knew about me_

_And then you stumble right on back when I'm finally free_

_Stealing, stealing_

_All I have to give_

_I want to be this lovely soul_

_I want to just…_

…_live._

_But_

The girl takes the last word through a long and soulful run. And that voice. Only someone who feels just what they're singing can sing like that.

_But._

_The worst part is_

_You didn't mean to peel the petals off the rose_

_Forgiveness is a foreign place to someone with a tearstained face_

_My heart's on the floor_

_My souls in my voice_

_And up in my head_

_There's void, void, void_

_I can't think when you're here_

_And I break when you're not_

_Yes, you've taken, you've taken_

_Just all that I've got_

_I don't blame you for not seeing_

_Don't blame you at all_

_I only blame myself_

_For having to fall_

Jade west closes out the song with half a major scale, changing the song, and Seri sings the last line softly.

_Never had a chance_

_In my mind._

And then Jade hugs the girl

* * *

**(OKAY! NORMALLY AN INTRO GOES AT THE BEGINNING OF A CHAPTER, BUT WHATEVER…OKAY? This chapter is going to be long, and I'll probably be working on it for more than a day. I appreciate everyone who has contributed a character to this story, and I made a bit of an estimate on just how long it would be. I'm thinking around fifteen or more chapters, with a possible sequel about the students selected to go on the trip to Italy. I'll let you guys vote on the sequel idea, and that doesn't mean I'll make it. I don't want to commit to it quite yet, only because I'm so busy. So, here we go. Long chapter ahead. The song above was original, by me, and honestly, it fits a few situations in my life right now, which is a whole other story. But, Seri and the stranger's past are kind of similar to my story. Not completely the same, because this is YOUR story, I don't want to make myself too much of a part of it. I'm just here to type and hope you like it :). Screw this disclaimer, done it enough, let's do this thing!)**

* * *

**Seriana Velequian **

I know I made a little bit of a scene. I didn't mean to, really. I'm not one to cause drama. On purpose.

Tracks are over, and it's officially free hour. Right now, I'm at the place in the gardens where we played truth or dare and all of that.

Ten minutes ago, I'd been in the Spare Room. It's a huge room filled with extra instruments, equipment and supplies. I'd sat at the piano, staring blankly ahead, until someone came up and sat next to me.

No questions were asked.

She just played a simple tune on the piano, saying she wrote it herself, and it was lyric-less.

I asked her to play it again, and just _sang. _Sang what I felt and felt what I sang while Jade West played piano next to me.

And then she gave me a hug and left.

I think maybe that was the best thing she could have done for me.

But now the girls have kind of cornered me into talking.

Ariana had taken me here, Cat and Jade with her. Emily and Ava found us along the way, and when we got here, Ethan and Annabella were sitting here talking. Ethan got up and left, but Annabella stayed for the story.

Telly and Tori showed up later, and sat down, asking Cat what was going on.

I realized they were waiting for me to talk.

To tell them who that was and just why I was so…..upset by them being here.

Can I tell them?

Can I trust them?

Yes.

I don't know if I should, but I'm going to either way. I want to trust someone, so I will.

"Uhm. I guess should begin by telling you who that boy was."

I'm sitting by Jade and Emily, and Cat is directly across from me, smiling encouragingly.

"His name is Ryan."

I cleared my throat and went back to the beginning.

"Two years ago, I walked into a classroom and sat down next to a girl who I thought was my best friend. Her name was Meghan. We're sitting there talking, and she motions across the room to a nerdy looking guy sitting at a desk. She says that they went out in fifth grade, but, you know, no one really goes out in fifth grade. It's fifth grade. Anyways, so the guy.

I didn't think, 'Oh, he's cute', or anything. He seemed average. He seemed safe. Like someone I could make friends with and not worry about being attracted to them."

And then I'm having a flashback, speaking right on through it as the images play clear as day through my head.

"_Oh, hey. I didn't know you were in this class." I say, turning to the kid named Ryan that Meghan had pointed out a few days ago. I had to sit by him in class, and he seems pretty okay. But I didn't realize he was in this class too._

_He nods. "Yeah." He says, giving me a smile._

The days turn like pages in a book.

_Ryan is in all of my classes. He's alright actually. That kid, he's smart. Not a lot of people can keep pace with me at this school. I mean, I used to go to genius school, and I guess you could say I'm a nerd, but Meghan tells me I don't act or look like one. Whatever that means._

I'm explaining all of this to the girls. I tell my story as it replays in my head and I wonder just how long until I'm speaking through tears.

_Our table was too crowded, so Jenny and Kelsie moved. I'm just going to stay here, by Kaitlynn and Alex. Ryan sits on my other side with his nerd friend Max. We talk a little bit sometimes, since this class is really laid back._

"Eventually, we got to a point where Ryan and I were really great friends. I would talk to him more than Kaitlynn and Alex, who I had been friends with longer and also sat by me. We would walk to our lockers together, because they were right next to eachother, and he was in all of my classes. We would talk through class and we had inside jokes and we passed notes. That kid lent me his jacket and through my complaining let me use him as a foot-rest. I'm not a whiny girl, but, yeah."

And then there was the day I realized what was happening.

_I'm sitting in band and our band teacher is lecturing us. Ryan's over by the wall, laughing with his friends._

_I smile, seeing him laugh, and stare off out the window. Then I look back and we make eye-contact and he smiles. I smile back, roll my eyes, and turn back to the teacher and realize….I'm blushing._

I had spent the whole rest of band class thinking through this, realizing that I liked him and then going into denial.

I stayed in denial for as long as I could, and then I realized it was too hard. Too much trouble, because what I felt wasn't going to go away.

So I told my friends, and they all said go for it. Everyone said that he liked me. That he was perfect for me. Because if perfect exists, then….he was, for me.

And then I had one last obstacle before I would tell him I liked him, which by the way, would be the bravest thing I've done. Because I'm shy…not brave.

I had to tell Meghan. But of course, she said she was over him since fifth grade. AND, it was _fifth grade._

So one day in class I tell her I need to tell her something.

"_I like someone." I say._

_Meghan grins. "Oooh, spill!" the gossip queen begs._

"_Uhm….welll…er…"_

"_Is it Braden? He is SO cute! Wait, is it Jeremy?" I shake my head as she lists each guy._

_Then she thinks for a bit._

"_Oh, dude, what if it was RYAN?" She says, laughing, jokingly._

_I stare at her and her eyes widen._

_She starts laughing._

"_OHMYGOODNESS- YOU like HIM? Oh, this is too much!" She doesn't even seem like she cares, just like it's so comical that I like nerd-boy._

_And then of course, Ryan comes to sit by us and I give her a death glare as she sits there cracking up._

"_What?" he asks._

"_Nothing." I say with a pointed look at Meghan._

I look at my phone and see I have ten minutes left of free hour. I need to finish the story, but no shortened version can really describe what happened, so I just do my best.

"Anyways, one weekend we started texting, and he asked me if I liked him. After making myself be brave for once, I told him I did, and said that it was okay if he just wanted to be friends, which was a total lie. He said a bunch of nice things, about how beautiful and sweet I was, and then said he didn't know how he felt. The next weekend…he and Meghan were going out."

Cat gasped.

"That bitch!" she said with a squeal.

Everyone looked at the innocent girl, not expecting such a word to leave the mouth of a person like her.

And then I finish my story. I tell them about how Meghan WAS actually a total bitch to him. She insulted him, told me she liked using him for homework, talked about other guys in front of him, was shallow, a bitch to his friends. How she told everyone she was going to break up with him and then when mine and Ryan's mutual friend Kaitlynn tried to warn him and Meghan heard about it, she told him that I started that as a rumor to make him mad at her.

I tell them about how one day in a dark auditorium on a fieldtrip I'm sitting by them and wearing his jacket and they're holding hands and all of a sudden I start crying silently, in public, which I never do. No one would have known if Meghan hadn't looked over and loudly asked what was wrong. Then people turned around, my whole grade staring at me in the dark, and Meghan 'defending' me, telling them to 'Go away! She's crying!'. And then telling them why. And then Ryan pulled me aside and told me that his heart belonged to Meghan.

Despite all she'd done to him, and all I'd done for him.

I put nice words in her mouth so all she had to do was press repeat and suddenly she was the best girlfriend ever. I told her what to say to make him feel good and he never knew so she got all the credit. And how he still doesn't know to this day how I did that.

I tell them how that summer she cheated on him. How she didn't tell him and broke up with him. How she told me she didn't regret cheating, and I should tell him what she did. How I told her it was her responsibility, how I ended my friendship with her.

How I eventually told him after Kaitlynn reassured me I had the right to.

And then I tell them about he and I. How when they were still going out he had told me if I ever needed to talk, he'd be there, how he said he'd always be there for me.

And then, that summer, before and after the breakup, he wasn't. I was going through some really terrible things that summer with my family, and I told him everything, and he only texted me once.

He broke his promise, my heart, and then ignored me back at school.

And lastly I tell them how it took me so long to get over it. I felt so insecure and terrible and alone that I wore a mask of a smile on my face. And that having just recently smiled a real smile, the absolute last thing I needed was for him to stroll right on back into my life.

That I knew from the moment my eyes traveled to the door, I was screwed, and I ran, ran, ran, because I just _can't._

I can't do that again.

I can't see him, can't talk to him.

I can't do anything except escape.

I thought about leaving camp, but I figured I'd sleep on it. Why walk out on a trip to Italy just for a guy who only broke me?

But honestly? I don't want anyone's pity. I don't want the attention. I would have much rather preferred he never showed up. But of course, he had to come.

I look up to see everyone standing. Obviously people had tried to speak to me, but I had been zoned out. Apparently for a few minutes, because Ethan was there, and _ohmygoodness _is he making Annabella blush?

That's it. At our next free hour tonight, I'm getting answers.

I told my story, and now I want Ethan and Annabella's. I want Beck and Tori's. I want Jade and Alex's.

Because Jade and Alex are making out by the fountain right now, and I haven't seen Beck and Tori all day, except for when Tori came to hear my story.

A girl has the right to be curious, right?

* * *

**Tori Vega's POV**

Beck and I had been in the Improv room. Everyone split up into groups of four and made a script. We're all going to preform them tomorrow, and then they day after that we're getting to the actual impov part.

And I have to say, I'm quite nervous about the part where I kiss Beck….

And I also just might be guilty of looking forward to it.

And then for free time, Cat told me Seri needed us.

I didn't think that girl needed anyone.

She seems cool, but rather independent if you ask me, despite her love of fun.

But after hearing her story, I know now that I have to tell Beck how I feel before it's too late and some other girl like Meghan snaps him up.

So, I'm going to do it this week.

I hope.

And the only reason I'm not scared of Jade right now is because she's making out with that Alex kid by the fountain.

Annabella walks up to me as we're heading to lunch.

Through lunch, she talks to me about Seri's story, and we talk about the skit we're doing, as she's in our group. Ethan is too, and I noticed the whole time she switched back and forth from avoiding him to staring at him.

This must be complicated.

But, of course, he did the same to her.

There's so obviously something there, and Annabella notices me deep in thought.

"What are you thinking about?" she asks me as I take a bite of my tortellini. Oh, yum, pasta.

I figure I might as well just ask…..

"….Uh, did you and Ethan….know eachother, before we came here?" I ask hesitantly.

Annabella rolls her eyes and blushes

"Well, Seri asked me if I'd tell that story at next free hour. Even though I think we should just start calling free hour story time." She says, first serious, then grinning.

Beck comes to sit by me and I tense up at little.

Don't stare.

Not as his gorgeous hair.

Not at his gorgeous face.

_OHMYgoodness, he's looking at me!_

I can't believe I still get so excited around him.

We three talk and laugh, and pretty soon we head off to the ballroom for our afternoon meeting.

I can't wait to hear about the contest! It's going to be great!

* * *

**Okay, this chapter was kind of long, because of Seri's backstory, but I had to put that in sometime. I feel bad for not getting to the Italy contest yet, and I also feel bad for not getting in Ethan/Annabella's story yet. But, this chapter WAS 6,000 words long, so I have it typed, but I didn't want to put it up and make you guys read such a long chapter. SO now it's just 3,00 words XD**

**And plus, I think I'm going to retype it anyways, when I have the time.**

**Okay, a few MUY IMPORTANTE QUESTIONES.**

**What did you think of this chapter? Were you bored or interested in Seri's story?**

**Although Annabella's POV will DEFINITELY be in the next chapter, who else would you like to have a POV next chapter (don't put your own character)**

**Bori. How should they happen and when?**

**Ryan/Seri. Should they make amends, or should she move on to get back at him? Or maybe both?**

**And lastly, rate this chapter on a scale of one-ten. I would like to know what you think, because this was a whole lot of backstory and I don't want you guys to be bored.**

**Okay, so please at least answer SOME of those questions in a review, please and thank you.**

**What am I forgetting?**

**Uhm…..I'm not sure. Anything else, please leave in a review or PM me.**

**Also, I wrote that song. Oh, wait, already said that….**

**How was your day?...Now I'm rambling nervously.**

**Bye, thanks! **


	8. The Maze

**Okay, I haven't been slacking, I promise. It just takes me longer to write these chapters than chapters from my other stories. Also, I have less time to write, which I've told you a million times XD  
I keep trying to make these Intros short, but I always fail.**

**Anyways, I have several ideas for this chapter, and I'm not sure yet which one I'll go with, so I guess we'll just see what happens :)**

**Disclaimer: I am officially disclaiming disclaimers (No more disclaimers for this story)**

* * *

**Ava's POV**

After all the drama, we finally head to the ballroom.

I honestly can't wait to hear about the Italy trip, and I find myself daydreaming about it as we wait for Alexandra to come speak to us.

I sit by Emily and Telly. They've been awfully quiet lately, and I have no idea as to why.

Ariana comes to sit by us, and so do Ethan and Niall, Niall sitting by Ariana. Tori told me they had some sort of connection during tracks earlier today. That other really shy kid, Nathan, goes to sit by himself, and Ethan stops him before he can, inviting him to come sit with us. The kid smiles, and I realize he has a pretty nice smile. My looks are very important to me, but that doesn't mean I can't look past other peoples' physical faults.

Tori, Beck, Jade, and Alex are sitting in front of us with Seri and Annabella. Cat comes back to sit by Emily, and Andre and Robbie sit next to them. I haven't seen those two all day.

Huh.

I can hear Seri and Annabella talking in front of me.

"So, what's Ryan doing here, anyways?" Annabella asks the now calm girl.

"Oh. Well, I didn't know until recently, but Ryan is-"

I can't hear the rest of her sentence, because Alexandra walks up on stage and applause erupts from the room, but I see Annabella's eyes go wide.

Alexandra clears her throat.

"Okay, quiet, quiet. Now. I know everyone wants the details on the competition for Italy. The rules are, that over the week my staff and I will be observing your talents and character. On the last day of camp, ten of you will be chosen. I don't know what you all have been told as to how long you'll be staying there, but its three weeks, according to the official plan. Now, while you are there, we will have you a few auditions scheduled for certain movies, and interviews for certain record producers who will fly out to meet you, as they are friends of mine. However, this will take some time to arrange after we choose who goes, so you will return to your homes for a week before being picked up and taken to the airport. Now, as for guides, I will not be going, but my Assistant Manager will be somewhere in the country at all times, though not necessarily with you, and my nephew, an Italy fanatic, will be with you the whole time. He'd like to say a few words."

Alexandra usually gets all her talking done in one long speech, and her semi-theatrical tone is captivating.

Then, to the surprise of everyone but Seri and Annabella, Ryan walks up on stage.

I shift, looking at my slim, dark jeans on my thin legs, and adjust my beret. I was unsure if I should wear it this morning, but I've gotten at least fifteen compliments on it, so I guess I made the right choice.

Seri must feel pretty awkward right about now, and I see her looking at her shoes, her blonde hair sheltering the inevitable frown on her face.

Ryan begins.

"Hey everyone! I'm Ryan Holmes, and Alexandra is my aunt. I hope to get to know some of you, as I don't really know anyone yet."

At that, I hear Seri mutter under her breath, "_The hell you don't."_

"Anyways, you guys all seem pretty talented, way above my head, but I do play drums, piano, and guitar. Anyways, I hope to see some of you in Italy, and I'll be around for the rest of the week."

* * *

**Annabella's POV**

Wow. Plot twist, much?

Besides the fact that that d-bag Ryan is Alexandra's son, I am soooo excited for Italy. I really hope I get to go…

Ryan goes and sits back down at the front and Alexandra comes back up to announce that we will be going to the maze in ten minutes, and to get in groups of five.

I immediately go to Tori and Beck, and watch out of the corner of my eye for Ethan. We've been getting along surprisingly well lately, and I expect him to come join our group, but Jade and Alex walk over and our team is full.

Ariana, Niall, Andre and Ava stand still as Ryan walks over to them.

"Hey, you guys mind if I join you?" he asks in a friendly manner.

I see him look over to Seri, who in turn is looking at him. When he looks over at her, she whips her head around and starts talking to Ethan.

I don't know if I'm jealous or not, with all the female friends Ethan has. But I do trust Seri, of all people, because despite what she makes herself think, her heart still completely belongs to that Ryan kid.

Seri and Ethan are in a group with Emily, Nathan, and Cat. And since Robbie can't find a group, Alexandra lets him join Ariana's, since Ryan basically took his spot.

We load up in a huge, gigantic tour bus, two of them exactly, to fit everyone, and drive the short distance to the maze.

It. Is. Huge.

**(A/N: Picture of the maze on my profile!)**

Several entrances are all right next to eachother, and she tells each group to pick an entrance, and the other groups line up behind them.

We find ourselves at the front, and when the air horn blows, its chaos. We stand to the side as the crowds pass, waiting at the back so we don't lose eachother.

* * *

**Ethan's POV**

Our group may have gotten just a little split up. All the other groups have cleared out by now, and Seri, Nathan and I are lost in the maze. Emily and Cat are nowhere to be found, and we can't win unless we find them. We try calling out, but it's hopeless.

We walk for a while, and Nathan and I make small talk, but Seri doesn't say a thing.

"You okay?" I ask her.

Since getting here, we've become pretty good friends. I almost consider her more of a friend than those douche bags back home.

Seri just shakes her head. She must not have noticed that I was still at the circle when she told her story about Ryan, so I gently inform her.

She looks surprised, but just shakes her head again.

"So how's it going with Annabella? You said you were going to talk to her." Seri says, changing the subject quite obviously.

I shrug.

"I guess we're okay. She just still doesn't act all that interested."

We walk in silence again for a while.

Then, Nathan, who hasn't spoken in a while, says something that changes the whole rest of camp.

"You guys should date."

I start to laugh, then, I realize he's serious.

"Wait, what?!" Seri practically shouts. "That's the last thing either of us need right now!" I can hear the exasperation seeping through her voice.

Nathan stops walking, and we stop with him.

"Or maybe it's _exactly_ what you need right now. I'm not talking about the real deal. I mean a fake relationship. To make them jealous. I wouldn't suggest it if I thought you guys would actually fall for eachother. You've definitely friendzoned one another."

That silenced us for a little while.

Okay. As much as I don't want to think so, maybe he's right. Maybe that is what we need.

I see Seri thinking, and I decide I'll try it. _Try. _But only if she does.

Because I know it'll only be acting. Over the last few days I've realized just how much I really do like Annabella. And I can see in Seri's eyes how much she cares about Ryan.

I stick out my hand. She stares at it, rolls her eyes, and shakes it.

"If you think this means you can get in my pants, I'll kick your ass." She says.

* * *

**Beck's POV**

Tori has been begging for us to take a break. We've been walking in what seems like circles for an hour, and it's probably best to stop and regroup our thoughts, as well as sense of direction.

As soon as we stop, Jade and Alex go off to the side to talk, but within five seconds they're sucking face.

Annabella looks a little uncomfortable, and goes to read the informational sign by one of the marble statues placed throughout the maze.

I sit with Tori and we mainly talk about Italy.

Lately, I've undeniably been attracted to Tori. And not just physically.

Even before the PMA's, I felt something for her, but after that I knew I was screwed.

And we've been hanging out almost constantly here….I'm considering telling her how I feel when Jade and Alex walk back over.

Honestly, I'm happy for them, but it seems like more of a physical relationship than something serious. But with the way he looks at her, I'm pretty sure they have some potential.

I look at Tori and she smiles as I get up and offer her my hand. I pull her up as Annabella strolls back over.

We head on through the maze, eventually making it out. We're the last team to finish, and we have a little surprise waiting for us.

* * *

**Okay. Wow. It took me a while to write that.**

**Anyways, here are your questions, lovelies!**

** What's been your favorite chapter so far?**

**Who is your favorite character, besides your own?**

** What do you think will happen with the Ethan/Seri fake relationship? How will Ryan and Annabella react?**

**Who do you want to go to Italy?**

**These are all pretty important questions, because your feedback really helps, so please try to answer all of them; if you can't, I understand.**

**I appreciate the idea left by the anonymous reviewer, to try and make Ryan jealous, so that's where this chapter came from!**

**Thanks, please review and all that stuff XD**

**:D**

**P.S: I realize some characters, such as Telly and Emily, have not been getting much writing time lately. I promise they play an important role in the story!**


End file.
